Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Training Contract Interview Questions

Training Contract Interview Process

The application and interview process for Freshfields is divided into:

• Online application
• Assessment day

Assessment day

The assessment day at Freshfields id divided into the following:

• Meet and greet
• Writing exercise
• Reading exercise
• Interview

Writing exercise

After a meet and greet, you will again be taken to a private room and given a 45-minute writing exercise. For this, you will need to argue for and against a one-line statement/proposition.

This statement will be something like "Should firms have a seven seat training contract?" and you will need to write one page arguing for this, and one page arguing against it.

Reading exercise

Immeadiately following the writing exercise you will be given the reading exercise. For this you will be given 25 minutes to read and assess an article from the Financial Times, or something similar (not business related). Subsequently you will have 45 minutes of questioning by two lawyers on the subject of the article. These lawyers will test you with difficult questions that may force you to take time to think, before giving your responses. At the end of this section you will have time to ask questions to these lawyers, about anything you wish.

Interview

Finally, you will meet two different lawyers (who may be a partner and associate, two associates, or a similar combination) for an hour long talk. Questions will ask you to explain why you have chosen law as a career, why you have chosen Freshfields as a firm and your CV, education and academic qualifications. There will almost certainly not be any commercial awareness or current events type questions. Competency based questions are also unlikely.

Your day will finish, with a tour of the office and an opportunity to ask further questions should you wish.

Go back to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.